Scarlet
by chessypeas
Summary: The stories pics up where the game left off and sees Scarlet attempt to rebuild her life. ReevexScarlet ElenaxRude RenoxYuffie CidxShera CloudxTifa...Please read


'I'm sorry I was late things over-ran at the office!' Reeve exclaimed as the front door slammed behind him, so that still wasn't fixed he made a mental note to call the maintenance in the morning. He slipped out of his coat hanging up neatly on his coat rack with his brief case. He paused for a second glancing at the soft black leather bag remembering that he had in fact taken everything vital out of it stashing the documents in his car, he still didn't trust her how could he.

'Have you eaten?' Reeve glanced at his watch it was late, late for everyone else but not for them her guilt wouldn't let her rest and he was a workaholic.

'Umm no but that's okay I'm not very hungry.' He reply floated through the archway between the hallway and the living room. Her voice was much softer now or had it always been soft like that, he didn't know he'd never noticed but then she had never spoken to him then never even looked at him.

'Well that's good,' Reeve frowned as he moved into the living room she was sitting on his sofa her legs curled up underneath her. Although she'd never noticed him he'd noticed her everyone noticed her she had been the most beautiful woman in Shinra, she'd had everything and now...he wondered if she ever missed it if she ever wished things had just stayed the same she must have...she'd lost everything now her home, her money her reputation and her job but she was still the most beautiful woman who'd ever worked for Shinra. Even now that the make-up was gone and her hair scraped back into a ponytail had lost it's peroxide sheen returning to a darker more natural shade of blonde.

'...not that you haven't eaten I mean I got us this.' He informed her holding up a greasy brown paper bag. She glanced at the bag and then once at him before jumping off the sofa.

'I'll get some plates you sit down.' She motioned taking the bag out of his hands scurrying into his kitchen.

'You don't have to...'

'Do you want a beer?' She ignored him calling out her questioned as she rattled through his plates.

'Urgh no how much of the wine is left from last night?' Reeve sat down on the sofa the spot was still warm from her form, he heard her open the fridge.

'About a glass and a half I can open another one if you want?' He paused his mind hovering over her suggestion, he thought better of it.

'No I'll finish that off and then see how I feel later on. What are you drinking?'

'Just water.' She motioned taking him by surprise as she swayed out of the kitchen carrying a tray in her hands. She placed the tray down on the glass coffee table handing him his plate first.

'I can't eat all this...Scarlet your plate is half empty come here I brought this home for us to share.' She knelt down in front of him.

'No I ate some when I was in the kitchen this is...all that's left that's all yours.'

'Starving yourself isn't going to make it better it won't take away what you've done you'll just be dead.' Scarlet raised her gaze up to his her face contorting at his words he saw her mouth quiver over the word 'dead'.

'You're not better off dead, I know you feel like that now but you're wrong.' His chest tightened as he watched her expression fall her eyes slipping away from him as her body seemed to go limp.

'Scarlet please listen to me,' Reeve breathed pushing his plate to one side as he slipped down on his knees in front of her.

'You've been given a chance,' He mused reaching out of her hand, she didn't fight him she didn't even try to move away she just let him hold her.

'...you can change you're life you become a better person.'

'What if...what if I can't what if this is...really me...' She breathed her voice cracking into sobs.

'It isn't you can be good you can change I know you can.'

'How, how do you know that when I don't even know that?' She cried the tears rolling down her cheeks. Reeve frowned slipping his hand from hers he raised it up underneath her cheek raising her chin with his fingers her eyes meeting his.

'I know that because you were the only other person to leave the Shinra building alive, out of all those people buried under that rubble it was you, you were the only one pulled out alive. You should have been dead but you weren't and it was because she saved you she looked inside you and she saw that you could change she saw the good in you and she saved you for the planet, because you're meant to do something amazing.'

'But Rufus he survived and there's nothing good in him.' She tried to pull her face away but he wouldn't let her move.

'The Turks got Rufus out but they left you and everyone else to die and everyone else did die but she saved you I know she did.'

'The flower girl...Aeris...' She whispered softly afraid to say her name any louder. Scarlet opened her mouth to speak to utter her disbelieve but before she could Reeve covered her mouth with his own. Her eyes widened as he touched her, it was a strange kind of a kiss born out of the need to reassure her as much as it was about his feelings. He'd always known it was a mistake to bring her into his home but then...

Scarlet pulled away first jumping back from his touch as if his skin had been liquid fire.

'I'm sorry,' Reeve breathed his voice escaping him a little deeper than normal.

'I shouldn't have presumed...'

'Oh no Reeve please it's not like that,' Scarlet motioned reaching out tentatively running her slender fingers down the side of his face.

'If you only knew how long I've wished...wanted you to do that ever since...' She closed her mouth her hand twitching away from his skin before she could move it back onto her lap he caught her, she couldn't feel it.

'You still have no feeling.' Her head suddenly jerked up at his comment, he meant her arm.

'I wasn't expecting a miracle it's more than I deserve you never should have tried to fix me.'

'I didn't do it for you, you were just a guinea-pig plenty of people lost limbs I just wanted to know if I could give them back.' Scarlet clenched her fingers.

'You know I'm no good I'll only destroy you in the end...or both of us. You've done so much for me I couldn't stand the thought of ever hurting you Reeve.' Running his rough fingers across her artificial skin his face was completely devoid of emotion he'd never heard her be so truthful before.

'Believe it or not Scarlet I am old enough and ugly enough to take care of myself I know what you all thought of me what everyone things of me but I'm not just a tech head I have had a life you know outside of a computer and sometimes that life even steamed so far as to involve real live women.' He chuckled although he wasn't quite sure what he found to be so funny.

'Not everyone thought of you like that.'

'You did.' Reeve shot back at her a little harsher than he had originally planned.

'Eat something you must be hungry you've had a long day your food is getting cold.' Scarlet attempted to dismiss the conversation changing the subject, it was a pathetic attempt.

'I don't care about the food I only care about...' He trailed off as he looked at her his voice dying in his throat.

'What?' She almost cried back.

'You, you Scarlet I only care about you! I've always cared about you why do you think I did any of this because I wanted to have you close I wanted to take care of you I wanted to stop you from hurting yourself wanted to have you here with me where no-one could take you away from me.'

'Reeve...' Reeve grabbed her hard by the flesh of her upper arms pushing down on her.

'When I thought you were dead I...I prayed I begged her to let you live just to let you be alive I was prepared to give anything just so you would still be alive. And when you lost your arm when you lost everything I knew you finally needed me!' Scarlet stared at him wide eyed un-blinking. He'd lost control he moved his hands away and gulped hard there was no going back now.

'Reeve I...I'm tired I'm going to bed.' She announced holding back before he could catch her again she was up off her knees reaching for her glass of water she left the room.

Reeve sat on the floor silent. He'd lied to her it had all been a lie and now he'd messed everything up he knew she'd leave now. But it hadn't all been lies to win her confidence he had hoped that she hadn't been killed and he did care about her he always had. But everything else had been lies carefully constructed to keep her in his home under his watch they couldn't risk her finding her way back to Rufus and the Turks she was to dangerous to be kept alive but Cloud and the others refused to let him...but he couldn't kill her even if he wanted to.

He glanced over at the wine glass she had brought in for him he drank it down before it even registered that he had picked it up. His limit was usually a bottle and a half but this time he felt like more he needed to drink.

Reeve woke up with a start jumping out of his skin as he sat bolt up right in his bed.

'You were having a nightmare I thought...' He started at her as she sat at the bottom of his bed staring back at him. Had she been listening to him?

'Here I made you this.' Scarlet pointed to the steaming mug sitting next to him. So perhaps the hot chocolate in the mug next to him was her alibi maybe she hadn't been spying on him when he slept but then how long had the dream lasted, questions ran through his mind as he lifted the mug to his lips.

'It's very hot.' Her message didn't reach his brain or his hand in time and the boiling liquid poured into his mouth burning his tongue.

'Oh Reeve are you okay here drink this.' A glass of water appeared from no where and he quickly obliged.

'You don't remember me do you?' She questioned as he drank the cool water soothing his scolded tongue.

'I've thought about what you said in the living room. You don't remember who I use to be do you when I first went to work for Shinra?' Reeve raised his eyebrows but he didn't speak.

'Do you remember how the offices use to be before they changed everything around, with the screen doors and everyone with their own secretary. I bet you don't remember yours do you? Why would you there was a screen you only ever heard her voice.'

'You're wrong I do remember her she was sweet, sweet and shy for a disembodied head. She use to make these toasted sandwiches, which she always insisted on force feeding me. Why did you know her?' Reeve questioned finally when he could speak again, his mouth still stung but he would live.

'Do you remember what happened to her?' He shrugged his shoulders he'd never really given it much thought.

'She properly got promoted she was a little naïve but good at her job I'm sure she did well for herself.'

'She quit.' Scarlet exclaimed continuing her monologue.

'Oh I didn't know I hope it wasn't because of me.'

'It was.' She didn't even pause the answer came flooding out of her taking him off guard suddenly.

'I didn't...'

'You didn't notice her you spent all that time talking to her over the intercom do you remember your little chats? She knew almost everything about you even the type of girl you liked. Do you remember that morning the one before the annual dance, do you remember those terrible things they were like torture.'

'Not for you, you were never short of partners.' She shifted her head tilting it away from him keeping her expression out of his sight and his reach.

'You said you were panicking because you didn't have a date your girlfriend the one you had then had the flu you said she couldn't get out of bed, you said you were desperate and then you asked...her. You said it was nothing serious that she was doing you a massive favour that you'd repay her anyway she wanted. She spent every penny she had on a dress she got her hair done even her make-up. You said you'd meet her in your office so she waited for you and waited it was hours and she was worried she fell asleep and when she woke up she knew you weren't coming it was over and you'd just forgotten about her. She was leaving and she saw you, you were with your girlfriend she'd dragged herself out she looked terrible and you were leaving early you walked right past her you never even noticed...she left the next day.'

'Scarlet how do you know all this?' Scarlet lifted up her head and stared at him she didn't need to open his mouth for him to know what her answer was.

'You're saying that was you?'

'It was me. When I got desperate for money I had to come back I changed my name I'd already changed the way I looked got these,' She pointed at her breasts.

'No-one remembered the old me not even you. It's funny really you spent all that time lusting after me and you could have had me any time you wanted you put me so far out of sight. Even now you still can't see me you just see this face this body and you think you know me you think...' Reeve couldn't fight it any more the feelings, which had threatened to overwhelm him for so long finally did wrapping his arms around her he pulled her into a passionate kiss. She fought him at first tears streaming down her cheeks but then she slowly lost the battle with herself this was what she'd wanted for so long what she'd dreamt of what she'd hoped would have happened every time she'd seen him.

'You know don't you?' Reeve whispered breathlessly when they finally parted, at the sound of his voice Scarlet closed her mouth and opened her eyes.

'That you're keeping me here, yes. You really think I'd run back to Rufus after everything?'

'Your options are limited your the most hated woman in the city maybe even the whole planet there's nothing you can do know where you can run.'

'I can do anything I'm Scarlet if I wanted to run you couldn't stop me none of you could. And besides I changed once I can change again Saffron I've always liked that name maybe I'll be a Saffy this time.' A cold laugh escaped her. Reeve kissed her again however many times he did it, it still seemed to take her by surprise.

'You could but you won't you're getting something out of this as well, you think I don't know that you're still in contact with Rufus that your drip feeding him information to keep his interest in still employing you.' She raised her eyebrow and shrugged moving across the bed she leaned forward pulling herself up onto his lap.

'Do you always wear your tie in bed?' Scarlet questioned as she moved against him twisting the tie, which he still had tucked into his collar around her hand pulling him into another kiss. She'd changed all at once she'd morphed back into the Scarlet of old she was hungry and ruthless and the sexiest woman alive, in his humble opinion anyway.

'I don't make a habit of it ordinarily, no.' He grinned back she'd managed to change the subject and he'd barely even noticed she wasn't even trying very hard and already if she'd asked him to tell her all the intelligence he'd gathered on her he would have spilled his guts there and then, she was good better than good amazing.

'That's not the only reason I'm still here. Do you know you're the only objective I have never bagged? I set my sights on you and I'm still yet to be satisfied, you should be very impressed with yourself that's never happened to me before.' Scarlet grinned flashing her perfect smile as she sunk her teeth into Reeve's neck, he winced as she bit him hard enough for him to know that in the morning there'd be a make to explain away but not hard enough to draw blood. Reeve opened his mouth to speak but before he could she covered it with the palm of her hand.

'Ssssh.' She sung softly as she pushed him backwards down against his mattress, adjusting her weight so that she straddled his waist. Reeve frowned this was Scarlet, Scarlet who'd slept her way through most of Shinra scratch that ALL of Shinra. Tseng, Reno and Rude who lets face it all had better physics than him, he swallowed hard wishing he'd used the free gym more at Shinra when he'd had the chance. She'd pulled off his tie he watched the material flutter down onto the floor from the corner of his eye, her fingers then slide down the fabric of his shirt making light work of the buttons just as she was about to slide her hands under the material he caught her stopping her mid flow.

'No Scarlet.' His voice left him in a ragged breath.

'Reeve?' She giggled softly slipping her arm out of his grasp returning it back under his shirt.

'No Scarlet please, don't.' He sat up pushing her away.

'What's wrong I thought you wanted this as much as I do?'

'I do, I do more than you could possibly know, but it's just...' Reeve's voice died in his throat he couldn't look at her. He frowned at himself he had to remind himself that he was in fact thirty-two and not as he mind would have had him believe thirteen. He had had his fair share of women over the years and most of them, no all of them had been beautiful and so far out of his league but that had never bothered him not like it did now his own self doubt was paralysing him.

'Reeve I...I'm sorry this was a mistake.' Scarlet breathed slipping from his form she moved off the bed, before he could stop her she was gone.

'Scarlet...'


End file.
